Free Fire Born (Firehouse 343) by Christina Moore Page B

an emotional goodbye with her mother. Martie also learned that the poor girl hadn’t slept well when, after about half an hour of hearing her snoring lightly, Chris told her about the nightmare she’d had.
    “I’m so sorry,” she said, wondering how many times over the next few days she’d be saying those words.
    “I know you are,” Chris said quietly from the passenger seat. After a moment of silence he looked at her. “I want to say thanks, again, for last night.”
    “You don’t have to thank me, Chris.”
    “But I want to,” he insisted. “I mean, you don’t know me at all. I’m a material witness in your investigation—don’t think I’m not aware of that—and yet you came to spend time with me because I couldn’t sleep. You let me talk your ear off, and you let me…”
    His voice trailed off and Martie felt her cheeks flush crimson as she recalled the intimacy of the night before. He really had made her feel incredible for the first time in a long time, even if their lovemaking had been somewhat hurried. She’d drifted off to sleep in her own bed thinking of how easily his touch had heated her blood , h ad made her want him.
    “And you’re right, of course,” Chris went on. “Clearly you and I are attracted to one another, and there’s some serious chemistry between us or we’d never have slept together. But if we’re going to have a chance at something real—if we even want it, and I definitely do—then we gotta put the brakes on and do it right.”
    She glanced over with a smile. “Thank you for understanding. Despite the horrible reason for which we met, I’m glad we did. I’d also like to give whatever there may be between us a chance. To be honest with you , I might’ve been willing to leap without looking if I hadn’t been through the wringer a couple of times already. I just… It’s not just about protecting me—it’s about protecting you, too. ”
    He laughed briefly. “Trust me, I know what you mean about being through the wringer. One of the best things about you is that you’ve worked the job, so you’re less likely to dump me because of it, as I’ve had to deal with before. And I ’m gonna be honest, I really want to be with you again like we were last night—I mean, damn, girl! You’re gorgeous and you’ve got a body that’s six-alarm sexy, so I don’t know what the fuck those morons you dated were thinking. But I can be patient and wait until you’re ready to take that step again.”
    The fact that he was willing to wait for her—and his appreciation of her body—had pleasant little flutters trembling in her belly. And it made her want him even more. Chris had better quit being so damn understanding, she mused, or she was going to end up reneging on her own request.
    “Speaking of last night,” Chris went on, and the hesitation in his tone had her brows furrowing over her nose.
    “What about it?”
    He drew a breath and she looked at him. “I know I’m clean, and I get the feeling you are too or you wouldn’t have been willing to do anything at all with me. So I’m not worried about giving or receiving an STD. But we didn’t use a condom, Martie, and I hate to do this, but I have to ask you… Are you on any kind of birth control?”
    She swallowed heavily—so he’d had much the same thoughts she’d had last night. “I am clean, Chris, I can assure you of that,” she said slowly. “But when I said you’d made me feel like a woman for the first time in years, I meant it. You’re the first man I’ve had sex with in close to four.”
    “Fuck,” he muttered, dropping his head back onto the headrest with his eyes closed for a moment. “Guess that explains why you were so tight—not that I’m complaining, because it felt good. You felt good. But not having any protection whatsoever means that we could have a little you or me in about nine months.”
    “Chris, honey,” Martie began, reaching over to take his left hand in her right.